A special + motivating birthday note for you

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip." – Source unknown

Lionheart,

I love birthdays. It's such a great time to step back and reflect. My birthday is tomorrow, and I'm choosing to live bigger, bolder and better than before.

In today's newsletter, I want to share with you:

- a note about choosing epicness and love- performances at the Warper Party and Coney Island Baby- Elevate - transforming my live show- From The Shower To The Stage: The Masterclass replay- Set Your Life To Music opportunities to grow in your songwriting passion- upcoming releases of my music: my electronic pop music and the Cuban jazz album I wrote and recorded in Cuba

Thank you for joining me on this magic carpet ride. Love ya, Lionheart.

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Recently, my mentor challenged me: she asked how I could make every day / week / month EPIC.

Instead of simply doing actions that move along my music and business and showing up for yet another day to get things done, I'm choosing to go bigger.

Now, Lionheart, even doing certain actions in my new music and business ARE steps outside of my comfort zone already. But what is life if not an adventure filled with love and passion? I'm doing the inner work. I'm doing the outer work. Still, I can be bolder.

My mentor asked what makes me have that YES! moment, that complete sense of being lit up.

Performing my new dance pop music is what lights me up. I feel zen in the moment, connecting eye-to-eye with people in the audience. I even made a happy mistake in my last live set and found a catchy loop to keep in the recording.

Traveling and working with musicians around the world lights me up. Hence, I've got both an electronic pop album and a Cuban jazz album that I want to release this August.

Writing my own music and guiding my songwriting clients in writing their music lights me up.

In doing all of these things, I lose track of time.

"Do 3x more of that." I'm collapsing the timeline. I was putting off performing and releasing new music because I felt I had to get all the ducks lined up with finishing new tracks, building my business, and creating a way to fund the release of my new music that makes people move. No more.

I'm not waiting anymore for the right time for this.

I'm not playing not to lose. I'm in it to win it.

MY DOWNLOADS1) Join and stay a part of an awesome community of high-vibe artists bringing their electronic sets with Ableton to the next level. It's called Elevate and it's led by Laura Escudé.

It's a continuation of the Transmute Accelerator program I joined in February and March. Even though I provide mentorship, guidance and accountability to my own songwriting and voice students, having a community and my own mentors helps me move fast, stay focused, be inspired, and make friends who are up to super cool and big things all over the world.

2) Collapse the timeline. One of my dreams is to create an Anthony Bourdain-inspired business / show / musical offering, where I travel around the world and make music with people. Just as Tony connected with people through the universal passion of cooking and eating food, I'd love to do just that through the universal language of music in writing, recording, and performing.

And you know what, Lionheart? In seeing things in new perspectives, I'm already doing this.

I have TWO albums coming out that are collaborations with Cuban and American musicians: my Cuba Diaries jazz EP and a Cuban hip hop album I featured on.

When working with refugees at the Ritsona Refugee Camp in Greece last summer, I wrote songs with the residents there.

When I traveled to Samois sur Seine and Alsace, France, I stayed with Romani musicians in their caravans and made music.

I'm writing music now with electronic collaborators in NYC, LA, London, Canada, and more.

I’m still in touch with people from all of these communities - even this week!

Enjoy these pics.

Recording a Cuban jazz album with world-class musicians in Havana - and orchestrating the entire studio process en español!

Playing Gypsy jazz with Romani musicians in Samois sur Seine and Alsace, France

Making music with residents at the Ritsona Refugee Camp in Greece

Creating tropical electronic dance music in NYC with Elkin Pautt in our project called Elkin and Alarke

SO - how do I take this to the next level and collapse the timeline?

I'm participating in events in NYC, Vancouver, and LA this summer. Now is the time to get the ball rolling and add songwriting workshops and performances. If you know of any communities that would like to host a songwriting workshop and / or my solo electronic live performance, reply to this email!

Double down on focus and collaborating with people and communities that feel like an ABSOLUTE YES!!!!!

Think: how CAN this happen?

What am I willing to let go of in order to forge new pathways? For me, at least for right now, that's drinking. I'm not militant (because I want to feel free and exercise choice), and I did enjoy some drinks with friends this weekend for a bday get together. However, instead of looking at it like I'm losing out on something, I'm seeing how much opportunity coming into my life already because of the myriad benefits of this decision.

I'm not missing out; I've replaced drinking with other ways to make me feel good. Sometimes you simply don't know what you don't know. I didn't know how I could live in this other way. But, I tell you, it's more fun AND builds more confidence because of repeat successes.

Be willing to act in spite of fear of not having enough time. I keep talking about my new music with you. The truth is that it only needs finishing touches and I need your help to get it out. I'm launching a crowdfunding campaign in June. Even though there's not a lot of time between working with songwriting clients, writing, performing, and running the back end of this, there IS a way. I'm bringing on a second team member to help. I'm seeking feedback on my new songs from people I trust. Consider the source.

Every day, look at how you can take life to the next level. Think creatively and BE RESOURCEFUL. Look at opportunities where you can give something valuable to others.

Every day I choose my power. I choose to create epic moments and return to love. When in doubt, I bring myself back to this quote from A Course In Miracles: "Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved."

Reply to this email and tell me: how are you saying yes to make today and this week EPIC?

LIVE SHOWS

Last night I had a performance at Coney Island Baby in the East Village, NYC.

Upcoming: performance at the Warper Party on Friday, May 17th at 10pm Get details here.

FROM THE SHOWER TO THE STAGE: THE MASTERCLASS

Catch the replay of this valuable free masterclass and learn how to:

write lyrics that move your audience

compose bumper sticker hooks and catchy melodies that you can't get out of your head

use reference tracks for inspiration so that you don't feel like you have to pull a song out of thin air

find your true voice and break through any confidence blocks

create amazing songs even if you don't know how to play an instrument very well

Lionheart, you can write 3 songs in 3 months, find your true voice, and perform the debut of your new music onstage.

Even if you don't play an instrument, you can write with loop pedals and perform onstage to backing tracks.

FOLLOW YOUR BLISS! Until May 8 at 11:59pm, I'm offering BOTH these packages in an absolutely blissful opportunity.

From The Shower To The Stage <<< check it out hereWrite 3 songs in 3 months on piano, guitar and/or loop pedalsEven if you don’t play an instrument, you can write songs with loop pedalsFind your true voice and your unique styleLearn how to sing your best with advanced vocal trainingDevelop your songwriting skills with confidenceWalk away with a songwriter’s toolbox to create and finish your songs

Get To Your Gig <<< discover it herePrepare 3 songs for a performance in 3 hoursDevelop your vocals for the stagePrepare to perform with you singing and playing an instrument OR sing to a backing trackSculpt your presentation: how you’ll present yourself onstage and how you’ll communicate with your audience in-between songsLearn which venues or open mics are best for youGet your booking template email and your checklist of submission materialsLearn how to interact with your audience offstage to build your communityWork out any kinks and rehearse exactly what you’ll do from the moment you step onstage to the moment you step off

Until tomorrow only, I'm offering BOTH for $1500 (a $2100+ value).

This offer ends at 11:59pm EST on May 8.

This is SO JUICY! The prices for each are also going up soon, so it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

Have questions? Fill out this form and let's get on a call to discuss.

Will you help me release my new music, Lionheart? I'm launching a crowdfunding campaign in early June to fund the production and promotion of two new albums - Wondercore (temporarily titled electronic pop album) and Cuba Diaries.

I rarely do this before they're finished, but I'm sharing some demos of the tracks to give you a taste. Enjoy the process!

Throughout her 25-year professional career, Alarke has mesmerized audiences from the Kennedy Center, the Rainbow Room, and Carnegie Hall to Fabrica Del Arte in Havana, Cuba, Romani caravans in Samois sur Seine, France, and castles in the Italian Alps. She's written songs that have gone to NBC's World Of Dance and won the Grand Prize in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Competition, performed at the Apollo's National Tour, won artist residencies at Strathmore and the Brooklyn Arts Council, and written songs with residents at the Ritsona Refugee Camp in Greece.

Her music is an exciting, vibey, future-forward melt of pop, electronic, dance, and world music.